More tears flowed down her cheeks, adding their salty flavor to the bitter
mix of blood and saliva in her mouth. Pleading was useless, as she could
scarcely breathe in between the painful sobs that wracked her body.

"Please," she forced out, despite her cracked ribs. Using her elbows to
prod herself up, she crawled towards the nearest person, her hope refusing to
abate. If she could only last long enough, if she could just convince them of
the truth in her words, perhaps they would be content to listen and forgive.
Gravel engrained itself into her forearms as she inched along, painfully slowly.
Still, she refused to give up, to abandon her quest. The physical pain she felt
now did not compare to the pain she knew was to come, if she did not succeed.

Ironically, she almost longed for the days when she was only ignored and
ostracized, as she was on her last visit home. Now, though, she knew what it
felt like to be downright hated. Her hand, bloodied and crusted with dirt,
managed to touch the ankle of one woman.

"You are not welcome here!" the woman shouted, pulling her leg back
swiftly, and launching another kick. Her foot connected squarely with the
girl's temple, the momentum and force of the blow setting her broken body
rolling along the dusty path. The girl coughed and spat, every moment yielding
more blood and tears.

They attacked her again, then, as if they thought they could rid of her of
her sins by some physical force of will. Well, perhaps it was true. The girl
did, after all, feel somewhat guilty for what she'd done-- or maybe it was what
she hadn't done.

With this assault the girl finally felt her resolve ebbing, and her
consciousness along with it. The last thing she remembered before the world
went dark was the red-haired woman that stood taller than any of them, who never
lifted a finger to injure her, but instead merely watched as they beat her.
Ever were her eyes cold, calculating, and unforgiving...

Descendants
(a sequel to Here Comes Neko!)
A Ranma Nibunnoichi fan fiction
by Luna Hinomura

Chapter 8: Family Ties

The walk from Dr. Tofu's office back to the Tendo Dojo was not far, but
Hideo took it slowly. He had much to muse over, and needed every extra moment
he could wring out of the time it took to return home. He felt fatigued, in
both mind and body. After keeping his heart locked down so tight for such a
long time, the relief of releasing some of his inner tension was too much to
bear at once. Now, that he had accompanied Rie safely back to her home, he
needed some time alone.

Sending Rie home was neither time-consuming nor inconvenient, but Hideo
really preferred not to even see her house. In some ways, it served as a stark
reminder of their very different upbringings. Hideo only knew as much about
Rie's family as she divulged to him. Partially due to his own insecurities, he
had repeatedly, but politely, declined her invitations to visit their home or
accompany them on outings.

While Hideo's own family was by no means poor, his parents' meager incomes
were negligent compared to the wealth Rie's father amassed from his occupation
as an attorney. In fact, Rie's mother didn't even work; she didn't need to.
Instead, she remained a diligent housewife, and often hosted dinner parties to
entertain friends or her husband's extensive clientele.

If it had been up to her parents, Rie probably wouldn't have even attended
a public school. As it was, Rie's parents were surprisingly supportive of her
notion to be like every other teenager. Rumors spread like wildfire, however,
and within a week of their freshman year, everyone knew her as the "Rich
Princess of Furinkan High." People assumed she was spoiled before they even
endeavored to befriend her. To most of the school, Rie was considered
unapproachable, but truly she had one of the most down-to-earth personalities
Hideo had ever come across.

Being considered unapproachable, however, had its downsides. Rie's first
few months at Furinkan were, according to her, painfully lonely. She even
considered transferring, since one of parents' conditions for allowing her to
attend Furinkan was to at least pass the high school entrance examinations for a
private school. In some ways, dating Hideo had brought her out of her shell,
and allowed more people to get to know her.

Unfortunately, they didn't meet under the most desirable of conditions. A
set of bullies had the idea that they'd pick on her until she would do anything
for them to get them to stop. Rie agreed at first, in hopes that their promises
were made in earnest. Gradually, however, their demands became too unsavory,
and Rie would do nothing to compromise her morals, dignity, and pride. Hideo
simply happened across them one day while they were harassing her. Words were
shouted, fists flew, kicks landed, and eventually Hideo was the only one left
standing.

Of course, Hideo felt his win was inevitable, since he'd been so
thoroughly trained in martial arts. Rie, on the other hand, was instantly
infatuated with her savior. Truth be told, he found her attentions annoying at
first, but gradually warmed up to her. To this day, some of his friends still
insinuated it was because she began bringing him expensive (and very delicious)
lunches to school every day. On the contrary, it was because Hideo felt as if
he found something in her--and their relationship--that he never realized he'd
been lacking.

It was hard to comprehend something that felt so vast and important, but
at the same time, so temporary. No matter how he looked at the relationship, it
seemed as if were doomed to fail. There was his and her future, but no ours.
As he continued to plan his future, he couldn't envision Rie alongside of him.
Would she be willing to be the wife of a mere scholar? Would she marry out of
her wealth and into a family tradition of Martial Arts? Why should she have to
give up her future, so that he could have his?

Hideo feared that, years from now, they would look back at their past and
think, Why are we together? What do we even have in common? For the life of
him, he could pick out no discernable reason why they should remain together
versus splitting apart. There were little things, of course, but he failed to
see where they stood in the greater scheme of things.

Why did she have to bring up those accursed rumors now, when they were
happy? Why did she have to be the first to drive their relationship into ruin?
If it continued to progress in this fashion, Hideo didn't know if he would be
able to stay together with Rie for very much longer.

Finally, his wandering feet brought him back home, to the Tendo Dojo.
Night was just beginning to fall; hopefully, his parents wouldn't be too angry
about his coming home late. Thankfully, they were fairly lenient in regards to
Hideo's personal activities. Why shouldn't they be, considering he'd never
given them any reason for worry?

The house was fairly quiet as he entered, uttering a soft, "Tadaima."

"Come in, we're about to eat dinner," his mother called from the dining
room. The faint trace of a smirk briefly flashed across Hideo's mouth. Chances
were his father cooked most of the meal. Though his mother was by no means a
terrible cook (supposedly, she had needed lots and lots of practice both before
and after marrying his father), Saotome Ranma was definitely the better cook in
the family.

Hideo removed his shoes and dropped off his book bag in the entryway.
Even from here, he could hear the giggles of his little sister as she conversed
with their parents in the dining area. He shed the jacket of his school uniform,
and pushed his feet into the slippers someone had thoughtfully set out for him.

His parents didn't say anything aside from the typical greetings to
acknowledge his arrival when he walked into their dining room, and sat down at
his place at the table. Tsukiko, on the other hand, squealed with joy and gave
him a giant bear hug. Hideo picked up his bowl of rice and chopsticks, and
began to eat. Eventually, his sister returned to her place at the table and
continued eating her meal.

The conversation was eerily lifeless compared to the usual banter. Hideo
was so caught up in his own thoughts that he didn't even notice until his father
cleared his throat audibly.

With a surprised cough, Hideo managed to swallow the mouth of food he'd
been masticating. "Yes?"

His parents exchanged brief glances. A mass of dread settled itself in
the pit of Hideo's gut-- this couldn't possibly be good news.

"Hideo," his mother started, "you received another letter from China."

Now he was confused all over again. Hideo received letters from China on
a near-regular basis, and had for almost all his life. What could be so
different about this one? "Another letter from Lan? That's nice." Hideo
continued eating, hoping his parents would drop the issue.

His father frowned. "Hideo, you know she's almost sixteen. Her birthday
is swiftly approaching."

Hideo rolled his eyes. "Yeah, and I'll be eighteen by the end of this
year, what's your point?"

Again, his parents looked at each other, with worry pervading their
expressions this time. Hideo's heartbeat quickened with anxiety. What could
possibly be wrong? Why were they bringing this up with him?

"Hideo," his mother began again, "you must understand, even we are not
aware of the full story. However, we were warned a long time ago--during our
first trip to China, in fact--that this day would come. Do you remember our
first trip to China? I'm sure you do, because that's when you met both Lan and
Jie. Well, there are certain matters surrounding Joketsuzoku, Lan's birth, and
her sixteenth birthday that we were made aware of while we were there."

"And what do they have to do with me?" Hideo demanded. "You didn't go and
do something stupid like putting me in an arranged marriage, did you?"

"Watch your mouth, son!" his father barked. "How could you even think
we'd do something like that to you, after being subjected to it ourselves?"

A sardonic smile planted itself on Hideo's face. "Well, it seems to have
worked out for you two."

Hideo's father opened his mouth to speak again, but stopped when his
mother placed her fingers gently on his arm. "Tsukiko, could you go upstairs to
your room for now, please?"

His sister didn't need to be told twice. Her eyes had widened into
saucers when their father had raised his voice. Obligingly, she stood up from
her place at the dinner table. Soon, they could hear her pattering footsteps
clamoring up the stairs.

"Now," his mother continued, "let's start over from the beginning, shall
we?"


They were leaving soon, but he would not accompany them. Instead, he was
to stay here in the care of his parents' longtime friend, until they returned to
retrieve their son. Truth be told, he was both a little frightened and a little
excited about the prospect of being away from his parents for a time. They
would never abandon him, he knew, but neither had they ever let him out of their
sight for too long. And now he was to be alone... alone, but not at home.

He hoped they would not be gone long, yet he also hoped they would be gone
long enough to give him time to atone for the recent mishap. The girl and her
cousin had avoided him lately, both remaining wary. Hideo had no desire to
become either one of their enemies. Despite his efforts towards reconciliation,
only the girl had seemed receptive of his apologies. Her cousin was more
steadfast in his blatant disfavor.

Speaking with the girl's father had been helpful, as the man served as a
translator. Through him, Hideo had learned that his two friends were named Lan
and Jie. Uncle Mousse had also suggested he buy something for her as a gift.
From the local market in a nearby town, he'd found something perfect-- a gilded
mirror, the metal of its frame decorated in elaborate wreaths of orchid flowers.
Even at this early age, Hideo felt that Lan was very beautiful. She was sure to
appreciate this gift, and he would make sure of it.

When he presented it to her, he spoke the Chinese words Uncle Mousse had
practiced over and over with him. "You... You're very b-beautiful," he stumbled
over the awkward pronunciations of a language he didn't speak. "I'm s-s-sorry
about w-what happened b-before. I hope whenever y-you look in this m-mirror,
you will think of me, and remember m-me."

The girl smiled at his words, seemingly understanding. She reached both
hands over to accept the mirror from him and gazed into it, the smile never
leaving her face. Then, she leaned over, and kissed his cheek. "Thank you,"
she whispered into his ear with a giggle.

A shocked outcry reached their ears.

Looking up, they both saw Jie, standing close enough nearby to see
everything that had transpired. For a silent moment, he stared at them in
surprise, his gaze alternating between Lan and Hideo. Then, anger and rage
clouded his face, and he turned and ran...


Now that he knew the full story of what his parents asked of him--or at
least, as much as they knew--Hideo wasn't sure he wanted to through with it at
all. Lying down on his bed, he stared at the ceiling, silently contemplated all
that had transgressed downstairs. Lan's letter lay across his stomach. As he
mused, he occasionally picked it up to skim over the neat, concise Japanese
writing. In short, she wanted him to visit. And, somehow, his parents had
known she would ask him to go.

Taking off from school suddenly to go to China would certainly not bode
well for the rumors at school. Rie might not be able to handle the sudden
abandonment, but there was not much else Hideo could do. As martial artists,
his parents had made a promise, and it was up to him to keep it for them. He
didn't fully understand, but he would do as they asked. It was fortunate for
him that their plans coincided with his, albeit for very different reasons.

Perhaps this was exactly what he needed to do to find what he wanted in
life. Perhaps it was finally time for a much-needed vacation, to leave this
stifling place behind and see the vastness of China's scenery again. He still
vividly remembered the giant mountain peeks jutting out through the mist, the
sights and sounds of bustling city life. It was... different than Japan.

Hideo had only been to China once, but it had left a deep impression on
his life. It was the first and only big vacation his parents had ever taken,
even after Tsukiko had been born. Since then, their family had traveled to
several local places within Japan, but Tsukiko had never been out of the country.
Briefly, he wondered at that fact, but chose not to dwell on the issue.
Presently, it was not important.

If he went now, he had an idea of what he was meant to do. He would
definitely see Lan and Jie again, and perhaps finally help make peace between
the troubled cousins. But did his parents need to know the entirety of his
travels?

After all, he had figured out later where they'd gone when they left him
in the care of Lan's father for those few days. He'd done more research,
written more letters to China that his parents didn't know about.

Lan wasn't his only penpal in China.

Now resolved to the path he had chosen, he set about considering how to
achieve his goals.

End of Chapter 8